"Cheat codes..." - Rival boss identifies Sheffield United factor that could edge Leeds promotion battle

As he performed his traditional post-match lap of Pride Park, acknowledging the support of Derby County’s fans last weekend, Paul Warne won’t have felt a great deal of it. A chorus of boos rained down on him after a 1-0 defeat to Sheffield United that was punctuated by chants of: “Paul Warne, your football is s***.”

It was a mark of the man’s class, then, that he took the time to answer a question about his conquers with good grace when others, at a time of uncertainty about his future, would have shrugged it off. Victory over his Derby side had kept United well in the hunt for automatic promotion to the Premier League and having played all the teams also bidding for the same, Warne is well positioned to assess how the race will ultimately finish.

“I think Sheff U are a really good home side,” Warne told The Star. “And away from home - and massive shock here - they're winning games as well. But I think they're winning when they're possibly still not playing at their best. It's always the way that when you bring new players in ... everyone thinks it's going to be like 20 per cent better automatically.

“That isn't always the case, and it takes a bit of time for new players to settle in. You would be mental if you think they're not going to be in the top three, that's probably the best way I can put it. And there'll be loads of twists and turns in the meantime.”

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Warne was wise to keep his counsel rather than predict an outright winner of a four-way automatic promotion race currently led by Leeds United - seen by many as the champions-elect - and contested by Burnley, who moved above United and into second this week, and Sunderland’s young guns, who are fourth and three points behind Burnley and the Blades.

The former Rotherham United boss knows United chief Chris Wilder and his No.2 Alan Knill - one of his predecessors in the Millers dugout - well from his time in South Yorkshire, and has earmarked them as potential difference-makers when the Championship promotion race enters its final straight. “I always rate Chris and Knilly's teams,” Warne added. “I always like the way they play and they're always going to cause you problems.

“You just had to look today at the subs they brought on. They're absolute cheat codes. So when you can bring players like that onto the pitch, attacking players especially, then you're always going to win a lot of football matches. And they're experienced at winning. A lot of people can win games, but a lot of people can't win promotions. Chris and Knilly have shown numerous times that they can. So if I was to back any management team [for promotion], irrelevant of the squad, then I'd back them.”